The officers all previously served as Class II Special Officers for the city. Kirchgessner also worked as a fully certified police officer for Camden County.

The department has a shortage of police officers — there are now 87 including the new hires, down from 95 two years ago, Salerno said. Thirteen officers have gone to other departments or retired in the last two and a half years, and the new hires are replacements. The department plans to hire two more officers before the end of this year, Salerno said.

“Having these additional officers is important because this is a growing city,” Salerno said. “There has been a very positive explosion of not only residents, but visitors.”

Salerno said the shortage has not affected the department’s ability to combat its top priority: violent crime.

Since January there have been 19 confirmed shooting incidents in the city. Seven people have been shot this year, and one incident was fatal, Salerno said.

Those numbers are down from last year, when there were at least 37 shooting incidents in the city, four of them fatal, according to the police department.

The dropped rates accompany recent changes in the department earlier this year. Since May 15, the expanded Narcotics and Gang Unit has patrolled seven days a week in the southwest side of the city, Salerno said. Walking patrol units have tripled in that area, where violent crime is most prevalent. There only have been two shootings since May 15, including one person struck and injured.

“While it sounds remarkably low, we are not going to rest until we have no gun violence in Asbury Park,” Salerno said.

The Asbury Park Police Department received a $625,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services in September. The COPS Hiring Program will fund the new officers’ benefits and $32,000 starting salaries for three years.

Britt, DiOrio and Kirchgessner will begin field training tomorrow. Whittaker will enroll full time in the Monmouth County Police Academy and is expected to graduate in December.